Prefabricated buildings



y 1961 D. B. FOSTER 2,986,243

PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS Filed April 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 2 mg By Q Atlornys United States 2,986,243 7 PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS David Blythe Foster, 16 Mount Park Road,

Ealing, London, England Filed Apr. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 805,595

Claims. (Cl. 189-34) ,The present invention has for its object to provide a building which is of light-weight construction, which has external walls of double skin construction and effectively. sealed against wind and weather, and which has a low inner and/or outer exposed surfaces of the metal framemembers are covered with cover strips of plastic ma-' terial to reduce heat transference between the interior and exterior of the building through the metal frame mem-,

bers.

The cover strip may be extruded with a cross-section to provide ribs on the inner surface thereof to provide air spaces between a strip and the surface of a metal frame member covered by the strip. The strip may have flange portions which fit around the edges of the exposed surfaces ofthe metal frame members and into the channels. The flange portions of the cover strips which liewithin the channels are preferably formed with edge zones which incline awayfrorn the walls of the channels and press against the skin panels to serve as sealing members for weather sealing the panels within the frame members.

; The frame members are fabricated from sheet or strip metal, preferably strip steel, which is profiled to form the channels along opposite edges for receiving the panel edges, a web portion connecting the channels. Two or more profiled stripsmay be secured together to form more complex frame members. Such fabricated frame members are very strong whilst the webs are of thin metal and provide a small cross-section for heat transference between the interior and the exterior of the building.

According to a feature of the invention, heat transference through the metal frame members is further re-. duced by providing apertures or slots in the web portions so as to reduce the cross-sectional area of the through metal, and preferably in such positions as to increase the length of the heat conducting paths between the inner and outer skins. I p

The heat transfer through the air cavities between the skins may be reduced by increasing the spacing between the skins and/or by interposing a layer of heat insulating material, such as glasswool, and/or a heat reflecting material, such'as' aluminum foil, in the air cavity between the two skins. I

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig- 1 shows, diagrammatically, a vertical section through a building constructed according to this invention. a

Fig. 2 shows a section through a frame member and wall'panels on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 shows one method of slotting the web portion of a metal frame member to increase the length of the thermal path.

Fig, 14 is a section showing a protective strip assem bled to an upright frame member.

' Fig'. '5 is a section showing a protective strip assembled to a base frame member. v

Fig. 6 is a section showing protective strips assembled to the external and internal surfaces of a corner frame member.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a vertical section through a building according to-one embodiment of the invention. Broadly, the building comprises side walls 101, 102, a ceiling 103 and roofing 33. There may be internal partition walls 105. The side walls 101, 102 are each of double skin construction, comprising an outer skin 47 and an inner skin 45 which are spaced apart by having their edges embraced respectively in parallel chan-. nels 106, 107 formed in frame members 108. Top, b'ot tom and upright frame members are provided which are secured together to form rectangular frames having the pairs of inwardly facing channels extending continuously therearound into which the edges of the panels forming the skins are fitted and sealed to form, between the skins, cavities of static air. The outer skin may be weather: sealed into its associated channel by a sealing mastic or the like, Some frame members, for example corner uprights, may be common to two adjacent frames. Timber uprights may be arranged between main frame uprights to divide the wall cavity into a number of smaller cavities and to provide support for intermediate points of panels or for panel edges where the size of a frame neces sitates two or more panels to infill it.

The ceiling maybe similarly constructed of two skins 48, 49 with their edges fitted into channels or rebates 109, 110 in frame members which may also constitute the top frame members 108 of the side walls. between the ceiling skins may be divided into a number of air cavities by joists or noggings 111.

The interior of the building is thus heat insulated, from the outside atmosphere, both at its sides and top, by static air cavities, and heat transference between the exterior and interior of the building is determined by the COIldllOle ance through these cavities and through the material'of the frame members which forms a direct heat conducting path between the interior and exterior of the building. Whilst the inner and outer skins may be made of a relatively poor heat conducting material, such as asbestos cement sheets or hardboard, the frame members, which provide the main structural strength of the building, are made of metal, preferably strip steel, in order to provide a the requisite strength, the metal strip being profiled to form the channels 106, 107 interconnected by a web portion having a cross-section which is as small as possible.

Fig. 2 shows on an enlarged scale a section of a doubleskin wall and a profiled metal frame member having two channels to receive the panel edges.

The conductance of the metal frame members may be reduced very considerably by punching slots in the web' portion of the metal to reduce the cross-sectional area and preferably also in such positions as to increase the length of the thermal path.

One suitable arrangement for punching the .slots is shown in Fig. '3.

Heat transmission between the inside and the outside of the building through the metal frame members is reduced by covering the internal and/or external exposed surfaces of the metal frame members with cover strips Patented May 30, 1961 The cavity of plastic material. These cover strips may also provide decorative and/or protective coverings for the exposed metal. Various cross-sections of such cover strips are shown in Figs. 4 to 6.

"Referring to Fig. 4, truded from a flexible synthetic resin plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride, with the cross-section as shown, and is adapted to fit around the exposed outer or inner faces of an upright frame member 108. The exposed face of the extrusion may be moulded with longitudinal ribs 191 for decorative purposes, and the inner face may be moulded with longitudinal inner ribs 192 for spacing the plastic extrusion from the surface of the metal. Opposite sides of the extrusion are shaped with inwardly extending flanges 193 which extend into the channel grooves of the frame member and are preferably formed with outwardly inclined end zones 194 which are flexed when a panel 45 is inserted into a groove and serve as sealing members engaging with the surface of a panel. -In this way the necessity of injecting a sealing mastic into the grooves may, in some cases, be avoided.

Fig. 5 shows the cross-section for another plastic extrusion 195 for fitting round the exposed flange of a 'base frame member 108.

Fig. 6 shows the shapes of the extrusions 196, 197 for fitting respectively over the exposed inner and outer metal surfaces of corner upright frame members.

Extrusions for fitting to other frame members will be similarly formed to the appropriate dimensions.

Plastic cover strips as described not only reduce heat transmission through the frame members, but also resist corrosion on the surface of the steel frame members, particularly on the exposed outer surfaces, and avoid sweating on the exposed inner surfaces. They also provide a decorative effect and may be extruded in any desired colours. They also provide a means for sealing, or assisting the sealing, on the panels in the frame members.

What I claimi's:

l. A building wall ,of double skin construction, comprising two skins consisting of panels of which the edges fit into spaced channels formed along the outer and inner the protective strip 190 is ex;

9 member defined by the outer walls of the oppositely facing channels with the flexible return flanges extending into the two channels respectively, and panels inserted into said channels.

7. In a building structure, the combination of a metal frame member having oppositely facing channels along one edge thereof, acover strip moulded of a flexible plastic material with return flanges along each edge thereof, the edge zones of the return flanges inclining away from the strip, said cover strip enclosing the outer surface of the frame member defined by the outer walls of "theoppositely facing channels with the flexible return flanges extending around the edges of and with the inclined edge zones extending into the two channels respectively, longitudinally extending ribs on the inner surface of the strip and spacing said inner surface from said outer surface of the frame member, and panels inserted into said channels and engaging said inclined edge zones of the return flanges and deflecting them towards the outer walls of the channels, whereby the resilience in the plastic material presses said edge zones into sealing contact with the ing a strip of sheet metal profiled to form a channel of substantially rectangular cross-section along one edge thereof, and a cover strip moulded of a flexible plastic edges of frame members fabricated from sheet metal and by means of which the skins are spaced apart, and wherein at least one of theinner and outer exposed surfaces of the metal frame members is covered with a-cover strip of flexible plastic material to reduce heat transference between the interior and exterior of the building through tending along at least one edge thereof, said return flange the metal frame members.

2. A building wall according to claim 1, wherein the flexible plastic cover strip is moulded with ribs on its inner surface to provide air spaces between the stripand the surface of the metal frame member.

3. A building wall according to claim 1, wherein the edges of the flexible plastic strip are moulded with flanges which extend into the channels and are formed with edge zones which project inwardly of the channels and flexibly press against the skin panels.

4. A building wall of double-skin construction, comprising two skins consisting of panels of which the edges fit into spaced channels formed along the outer and inner edges of frame members. and by means of which the skin panels are spaced apart, said frame members including the channels thereof being fabricated from sheet metal, wherein at least one of the surfaces of the metal frame members which are exposed at the outside and inside of the wall is covered with a cover strip of a flexible plastic material, said strip having a return flange along at least one edge thereof, and said flange extending around the edge of the channel wall and into the channel.

5. A building wall as claimed in claim 4, wherein said material of generally L-shaped cross-section which fits around the outer side wall and bottom wall of the channel, the edge of the cover strip which is located adjacent the free edge of said outer side wall being formed with 3 a return flange which extends around said free edge and into the channel with the edge zone of the return flange projecting inwardly of the channel away from said outer side wall and providing a flexible sealing lip, and a panel inserted in said channel with its outer surface engaging said'sealing lip.

9. A cover strip for the exposed wall of the channel of a metal building frame member, which is moulded of plastic material having at least one longitudinally extending rib along one surface thereof and a return flange exdefining a. channel with said one surface and having its edge zone formed to extend obliquely away from said one surface of the strip.

"10. A cover strip for the exposed wall of the channel of a metal building frame member which is moulded of plastic material having at least one longitudinally extending rib along one surface thereof and return flanges extending along both edges thereof, each return flange defining a channel with said one surface and having its edge zone formed to extend obliquely away from said one surface of the strip.

References Citedin thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,982,088 White Nov. 27, 1934 2,118,237 Slayter et al. May 24, 1938 2,438,140 Auten Mar. 23, 1948 2,836,266 Leeser May 27, 1958 2,863,180 Birdwell et a1. Dec. 9, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 68,150 France Oct. 28, 1957 

